Philadelphia

Philly courts will ban all smart eyeglasses starting next week

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/smart-glasses-ai-meta-courts-20260326.html

Philly courts will ban all smart eyeglasses starting next week

The First Judicial District of Pennsylvania said the rule is designed to protect witnesses and jurors from intimidation.

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Mar 30 at 1:38amWeb
Show threadserious_angelMar 30

I am not into Facebook/Meta nowadays, bet the technology is so lovely freaking magnificent... Back in the days, these were in Sci-Fi and dreams only...

// https://www.ifixit.com/News/113543/theres-groundbreaking-wav...

There’s Groundbreaking Waveguide Tech Inside Meta’s $800 AR Glasses But Don’t Count on Fixing Them

Imagine an AR repair guide that follows along with your repair. We’re excited by the possibility, but you won’t be able to fix these glasses just yet.

iFixit
Show threadverandaguyMar 30

It can be simultaneously true that smart glasses are a technological marvel and a privacy nightmare.

It's also important to consider that while many places have some legal framework along the lines of "no reasonable expectation of privacy in public spaces," there's a social-psychological gap between that and the presumption of being constantly recorded, be it by other private individuals or governments.

Because of this, my view on this technology is that it's a net negative in society, and generally unhealthy.

Show threadbryan0Mar 30
Serious question: what will happen when people start getting implants? They’ll probably require some sort of off mode, but not sure how that would be enforced.
Show threadkelseyfrogMar 30
[flagged]
Show threadfookerMar 30
You're arguing for government enforced de-anonymization while at the same time using an anonymous internet account :)
Show threaddfansteelMar 30
You’ll notice their specific example, the Cybertruck, is easy to identify on any road. And, as far as I can tell, not being mandated by any government for purchase.
Show threadkelseyfrogMar 30
How about you read the ToS in my bio before responding.
Show threadsteanneMar 30
sounds like an expensive way to get disqualified from jury duty.
Show threadpaxysMar 30
It's already impossible to stop someone from recording if they are really determined. Pen cameras, button cameras and all sorts of miniature devices exist and can be snuck through very easily. You enforce the restriction by prosecuting people who upload the footage.
Show threadroot_axisMar 30
That's so far into the future that we can cross that bridge when we come to it.
Show threademptybitsMar 30
On the audio side, it's not a stretch to imagine cochlear implants (or hearing aids) having an undetectable recording ability.
Show threadplorgMar 30
My local county is currently in a dispute with the local bar association because they want to upgrade the courthouse security cameras and the sheriff wants to add audio capabilities. This includes to parts of the building just outside the courtroom that counsel will frequently use for brief asides with their clients (due to lack of other private rooms). The county seems to favor adding the microphones and pinky swearing they won't use them and that public records requests won't be used to listen in on privileged communication, but it's obvious how difficult that would be to trust. They keep putting off a decision because they don't want to piss off the lawyers.
Show threadpilingualMar 30

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/san-francisco-judg...

There's no leadership to curtail asinine behavior. Instead of forces of nature to strengthen the status quo of freedom, we get lowly politicians. Judges end up having to do all the work.

San Francisco Judge Bars Use Of FBI's Secret, Hidden Microphone Recordings In Bid Rigging Case

A federal judge barred the use of the FBI's secret, warrantless recordings of foreclosure auctions outside San Mateo County courthouse.

Show threadtheturtletalksMar 30
Even if what they hear is inadmissible in court, parallel construction is a real thing and they will find a way to work backwards.
Show threadzmmmmmMar 30

I couldn't read the article but am curious what the definition of "smart" is. Because if that is the exact wording then it seems to be extremely broad and probably capture some unintended cases.

These kind of blanket bans are going to pose some real problems for the tech because people who wear prescription glasses will often get their prescription built in. So you can't take them off - you need them to see. And then there is another subset of blind and deaf users who are even more dependent on them. What are these people going to do once there are a non-trivial amount of places banning you from wearing them at all?

I think the tech industry is far behind the eight ball on this. To their credit Meta actually did a half decent job out of the gate designing sensor-gated recording lights into the Raybans. But it's not enough. There needs to be an industry wide agreement on a standard where something like a bluetooth beacon can shut off recording. Then maybe you have a chance of this category not becoming Google Glass 2.0. Otherwise I'm struggling to see how this ship won't sink.

Show threadsimonwMar 30
I think it's a very bad idea for a prescription glasses wearer to have only a single pair of glasses where that single pair has a built in camera.
Show threadgarbawarbMar 30
It sounds like OP is talking about having this extra pair with them where they go, not just having a pair in general.
Show threadtdeckMar 30
Which is a fair expectation IMO. There are plenty of places where it's not appropriate to record that they might encounter in the course of a normal day.
Show threadaiianeMar 30

The important part of the article:

> From then on, any eyewear with video and audio recording capability will be forbidden in all of the First Judicial District buildings, courthouses, or offices, even for people who have a prescription. Other devices with recording capabilities like cell phones and laptops continue to be allowed inside courtrooms but must be powered off and stowed away.

It's defined as having recording capability, which is quite a reasonable restriction to make, IMO.

Show threadk310Mar 30

Nearby Glasses for Android [0] tries to detect smart glasses.

Before the court makes you shut off your Android device.

An ios BT detector might also work.

[0] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.pocketpc.ne...

Nearby Glasses - Apps on Google Play

This app searches for smart glasses nearby and notifies you of their presence.

Show threadKuinoxMar 30
Never managed to make it work in background.